For years, some have argued that New York State's convenience stores are at a disadvantage when it comes to cigarette sales because Native American shops need not charge the same taxes as non-Natives are required to do. Across the border in Ontario, a convenience store advocate says their problem with "contraband cigarettes" is similar, skyrocketing and will only get worse.

Real estate prices in the Toronto and Vancouver areas have skyrocketed to such an extent that the Canadian government has raised concerns. In Vancouver, the British Columbia government has imposed a tax on foreign buyers. The Bank of Canada is also concerned about the overheated real estate markets. One sector that's been feeling the pressure for a couple of years is golf courses.

Canada's federal government watchdog is calling for the country's nuclear regulator to beef up inspections of the country's nuclear power plants. In a recent report, the commissioner of the environment found several serious issues.

Ontario is proposing new rules for the bottled water industry. The move comes after a water bottling company outbid a small community in its attempt to buy a well to secure a water supply for its fast-growing population.

An Ontario judge has dismissed a challenge to force the Cleveland Indians to change their name and logo. Cleveland is playing the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series.

Across the border in Niagara Falls, an estimated 200 business leaders had lunch yesterday with the Ontario Premier, during which she admitted receiving a loud-and-clear message about soaring hydroelectric rates in the province. They are costs that have risen sharply in the decade since Ontario enacted legislation that seeks more renewable energy production.

Two centuries after the British and United States squared off at the War of 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights, the Native American allies of the two sides were remembered Sunday as the Landscape of Nations was unveiled in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Mike Desmond was there for the first viewings of the Six Nations and Native Allies Commemorative Memorial.

The U.S. Coast Guard has ended its search for Giusseppe Reinhart, who disappeared Tuesday after departing for a fishing trip on Lake Erie. The search for the 37-year-old Niagara Falls, ON man was one of the largest in recent years for the Coast Guard.

A southern Ontario county near the north shore of Lake Erie has an unusual problem and it's causing divisions among advocates for animal rights. As WBFO Canada correspondent Dan Karpenchuk reports, many are calling it a "cat-astrophe."

There is a new push underway in Ontario for a hotel tax, the latest call coming from the mayor of Niagara Falls. Any such tax would need the approval of the provincial government. Toronto's mayor has already had talks with the province and a hotel tax could be just months away.

A new ultra low-cost airline is being launched in Canada. It will offer cheap fares for travel across Canadian destinations. But it's not good news for some airports in mid-size American cities near the border. Now, those airports have been given a temporary reprieve.

Ontario's premier Kathleen Wynne was on hand at a Toronto supermarket this week to buy a small case of beer, the first to be sold in grocery stores in the province. At the same time, she is also being criticized for a comment she made about Ontario government liquor stores being the best place to one day sell legal marijuana.

Canada has pledged to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. That means in December, hundreds will arrive every day. But since the militant attacks in Paris, some political leaders in the country have voiced concern and, in some regions, there has been a backlash against Muslims.

The issue of carding, which has been a subject of much debate in the City of Toronto, may be over. It appears that the Ontario government has taken its own steps on carding and out of the hands of Toronto’s lawmakers.

An Ontario judge has approved a plan to sever U.S. Steel Canada from its parent company, suspend health benefits and pension payments, and get a reprieve from paying property taxes. It's part of a transition plan which will allow U.S. Steel Canada to form and manage its own company.

A major change in beer retailing in Ontario will bring the province closer to the American model. Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne says beer will be available in some grocery stores by Christmas, with more stores being added in the coming years.